The Menopause Minute - Volume 85

As many of you might know, one of my favorite pleasures in life is cooking and entertaining family and friends. I love it so much, I have even co-authored a cookbook and there is another one about to be published. When I entertain, my guests usually enjoy a nice glass of wine, so I make a visit to the local spirits shop to prepare. And, it never fails, I'm always asked to show my driver's license. It always brings a twinkle to my wrinkle when I reach into my purse and pull it out. I've even tried to give them my AARP card. It still is rather funny to be asked for ID. Can't they see I have reached menopause?

The ID routine conjures up memories of the many events that paved the pathway of my womanhood. Many of the “firsts” seem quite funny to me now. Perhaps, some of you can relate.

Don’t we already worry too much about our wrinkles? Well, now we’re hearing that more wrinkles could mean weak bones. Apparently, there is a shared relationship between skin and bone health, and new study information, presented at the Endocrine’s Society’s annual meeting, found that having more wrinkles was associated with lower bone mineral density.

It turns out, collagen, which is typically related back to skin health, is also important for bones. Age-related collagen changes, the researchers noted, could explain both the wrinkling and sagging of skin and a simultaneous deterioration of bone quality and quantity. The study is not implying that wrinkled skin is being cited as a cause for poorer skeletal health, but that the two factors are associated. The researchers hypothesized that because skin and bone share the same building blocks, the physical skin changes in menopausal women can relate to bone density and bone quality. So, if a link between wrinkles and bone density is confirmed, it could prompt development of an inexpensive way to identify postmenopausal women at highest risk for fractures.

“Sex is the most fun you can have without laughing” --Woody Allen, in the movie Manhattan

“Sex is good, but not as good as fresh sweet corn” --Garrison Keillor

Sexual and general health are entwined in both men and women. It is well known in the medical literature that sexual activity can affect testosterone (“T”) levels in both men and women. Also known is the fact that lowered T levels reduce sexuality. For this reason, it can be hypothesized that sexual activity is able to “feed” itself through activation of the feedback loop that exists between the pituitary gland in the brain, and T-sensitive receptors which regulate sexual activity, energy production and mood, among others. More sex means more physiologically produced T, and more T correlates with both psychological and general health. Ample evidence exists in medical literature to suggest that full, satisfactory sexual intercourse is not only associated with better hormonal function, but with improvement of corresponding physical and psychological parameters.

Earlier last month at the 59th Annual Clinical Meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) in Washington D.C., Pfizer announced results of a Phase 3 12-week efficacy sub-study. Data were presented, which found that PRISTIQ® (desvenlafaxine), a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), significantly reduced the number and severity of moderate-to-severe hot flashes in postmenopausal women. Here is an excerpt from the press release.